The Eye of Destruction
by Public-Therapy101
Summary: Nothing good can come of this young woman. Being from a strange clan, not to mention being quick tempered and quite adept at 'seeing through people'. Did I mention that she's being hunted? Rated for language and whatever else occurs. ON HOLD
1. The Eye Awakening

A/N: Greetings! You may all call me Kei, and this is my first FanFic, so, of course, reviews are loved. Of course, I cannot control your mind set about my OC, but, ya know. Please don't be TOO harsh. I try not to make Originals similar to Cannon characters, so, I think I've done pretty well with this one.

But first, before I get started, an age clarification-

Temari-19

Kankurou-18

Gaara-16

Sadako-18 (she's come in here and there later on, so, you might as well get clarification on this tidbit. )

And you can probably figure out the age of anyone else (Originals at least : P) I throw in there xD

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

**DISCLAIMER:(I only do this once, so pay close attention) Kei(I) do/es NOT own Naruto, including all relations to the title, along with characters, merchandise, etc. But I DO own Kujo, Shouko, Hagiya, and any other random made-ups I toss in there. : P If I did own everyone else, Kujo and them would be part of the show and not just part of a FanFic. lol**

A/N: Alright, now to begin! (Kei: This chapter may be a bit on the short side, just because of how lazy I am. .. Shouko: You're right, you are lazy. Kei: Thanks for the encouragement. T.T)

'_Kujo or any other character thinking'_

**'Annon or Shukaku thinking'**

"Normal speech"

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

Prologue (Very short)

The funeral was a sad say, and everyone in Kirigakure seemed to be crying, all but one. Kujo, now 16, had made her father a promise she intended to keep. He made her promise not to cry for him because he neglected her so much as a child and that it was his fault she did a lot of the things she did. He blamed himself and therefore surmised that there was no reason for her to care if he was gone. Despite the occasion, she was still in her usual clothing. Black, long sleeved mesh shirt overlaid with a deep blue tube-top that reached her hips, then a dark, slate blue colored wrap covered her abdomen from right below her bust to her hips over top of that, not making her already thin, 108 lb. body seem any bigger or bulkier, oddly enough. Her pants were rather simple. Dark blue, probably a bit too wide, stopping about an inch above her knees. Not very form-flattering, but, that was it. Well, she has a kunai holster on her right leg, but, that was about it. Her shins were covered in now soaking wet black-blue knee high wrappings that seemed to lengthen her 5' frame. Traditional, black shinobi sandals covered her feet, not adding that burst of bright blue that most ninja had. Crossing her arms, one covered by a black, elbow length fingerless glove and the other by a wide sleeve that matched the color of her blue shirt, she let her mind wander freely.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

The young woman stood silently in front of the crowd, her headband wrapped tightly around her Alexandrite eyes, currently in their 'green' state versus the remaining 'red-violet' state, hiding them from the world for good reason. Not a tear streamed down her porcelain face. Kujo's face was set in its usual blank stare, on account that she hadn't truly smiled since... Well, a while. Some call it odd, ask her, it's called innate. Well, almost. It seemed that when she began becoming 'whole', all the emotions that her other 'selfs' experienced were transferred into the real her. Almost like how information gathered by Shadow Clones return to their creator when the jutsu is dispelled. But this was quite a bit different because it's all the emotions that they had gathered over many years. And it was much too overwhelming. So, instead of showing all my emotions, she chose to show none. After the grueling service was over, Mame approached her.

"Kujo-san," she began in her small, slightly scared voice, "you will be leaving for Sunagakure in 1 hour."

After an uncomfortable pause with Mame visibly fidgeting, the younger girl finally found her voice. "Why?" was all she said, her voice possessing an unusually wistful tone. Haunting may be a better word, actually. Kujo almost always seemed to be feared, probably because her clan, and everyone else, assumed her to still be unstable.

"You see, your father and the Fourth Kazekage had an agreement that if anything happened to him, you would be under the Fourth's care. But since the Kazekage passed away several years ago, the duty was asked of his oldest child, Temari, who said she'd take you in. You do remember her, don't you?" the woman asked, her eyes cautious through her dark goggles.

"Faintly..." It seemed that she only ever answered in one word if she could help it.

"Well, she is now your care taker and is expecting you in six days."

Without another word, the young woman returned to her now previous home and shoved her minimal amount of clothes, dark curtains, thin navy blue sheets and other belongings into a large black backpack before slipping on a long, dark blue traveling cloak with a large hood that was pulled quickly over her thick mass of quickly pulled and twisted back blue violet shoulder-length locks. Her 'third eye' (actually her 'mind sight') darted around the room to make sure her bony hands had grabbed everything of importance before leaving her room for the last time.

_'Ugh. I don't know why I can't just live by myself? I'm a Jounin now, and I'd do fine alone...'_

**'You forget dear, you're never alone.'**

_'I know Annon... Mentally I'm not, physically I am. I can take care of myself.'_

When she finally left her home, who else was waiting outside for her but Sadako. Kujo couldn't help but wonder what she was doing here.

"Hey Kujo. They want me to take you there, just to make sure." The 18 year old said cheerfully, brushing a strand of ice white hair from her face. All the younger of the two could do was raise and lowered one shoulder as if agreeing. It took her a few moments to register where 'there' was, but then it hit her full force.

_'Suna... Of course. Hot, sandy, dry. Great... The exact opposite of this place.'_

"Let's get going, we may get there a bit early." Sadako added in the same cheerful tone before setting off, leaving the younger kunoichi to trail along.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

5 days later (Kei: Yes, I AM feeling lazy today. Well, this morning since it's 1:30 a.m. and I have nothing better to do. xD.)

After a long, uneventful trip, complete with several run down inns and dark forests, the duo arrived in Sunagakure, both equally exhausted. The sun was bright, as always, and Kujo already hated it.

_'At least the nights are supposed to be cold and dark.'_

**'Hellz yeah. It better be or I'll NEVER forgive you for dragging me here.'**

_'Oh, just shut up. I'm not in the mood.'_

Despite how much the younger of the two hated the weather, Sadako, on the other hand, loved it. She even took off her usual un-ANBU uniformed blue jacket, revealing a tank top that perfectly matched her skirt.

"It's a wonder I don't have sand in my boots yet." The older of the two mumbled as she headed towards the Kazekage tower, leaving her 'responsibility' to walk along a step or so behind her.

The 16 year old showed no signs of the heat bothering her, and it didn't, but, she still wasn't quite used to the climate yet. And she also had a feeling it would take a while.

"The Kazekage can be quick tempered sometimes… I met him only one on an ANBU mission, and he probably won't remember me on account that he didn't see my face." Sadako said, finally breaking the silence. She wasn't the captain of the ANBU. Well, not yet, in her opinion.

After a moment of silence, Kujo finally spoke up. "I thought the Fourth was dead?"

"Oh, he is. This is his son. His youngest son." The one to whom Sadako was speaking didn't seem to be listening, as her eyes were focused on the ground, and she actually questioned if Kujo had heard her.

"I heard. And honestly, I really don't care how hot tempered he is. I don't want any of that 'I'm superior, bow down to me' shit. I won't take it. I'll put him back in his place." That was the kunoichi's final answer. Sadako nodded, knowing this wasn't the time to disagree.

Only a little while later, Sadako lead her up through the tower, first brushing past a flustered secretary. Along the way, several of the guards actually recognized her and let the two pass without a fuss. Anyone who didn't got a taste of her temper. When they reached the last door, Sadako knocked and only a second passed before a female's voice called a cheerful "Come in!"

Smiling, Sadako went in first and Temari greeting her with a hug. They obviously knew each other relatively well. "Well, are you ready to meet your temporary underling?" Kujo's companion finally asked.

Temari smiled, calling Kankurou, who stood off in the corner, to her side. "Come on Gaara." She said, slight impatience showing in her voice. The 'underling', meanwhile, was leaning against the wall outside the door, the large bag on the floor beside her and said person's ears listening to a phrase here and there. Her arms were kept crossed over her chest and her head lowered in thought until her name was called.

"Kujo, can you come in here?"

Sighing, the female pushed off the wall and walked through the doorway, standing beside Sadako and looking at the three faces before her through the Kirigakure headband that covered her eyes, but only a basic outline of their bodies was formed in her mind, their aura fillinging in the gaps.

"This is Manako Kujo." Sadako said, giving as formal an introduction as her much too playful personality would allow.

Temari, being the only girl, and the mass of pale pink-red aura from Kujo's point of view, pounced first.

"Hey Kujo-san. I haven't seen you since before, well, you know." She said, wrapping Kujo tightly in a hug. Of course she knew what Temari was talking about, and highly doubted anyone else did. After all, Kujo hadn't truly been out in the world since she was admitted. Caught off guard by the quick display of affection, Kujo stood stiff in her arms, not liking personal contact to any extent, and Temari let go, so, she had obviously sensed the hostility.

"This is Kankurou, my first little brother, and this is the Kazekage, my even younger brother." She said, motioning to each of them as she introduced them. "I think you may have met Kankurou before, now that I think about it." The older woman added quickly.

_'So this is the Kazekage Sadako mentioned…'_

She looked over said person through her headband. The red aura wasn't very inviting. The female's eyes then went to Kankurou's blueish form, who she sensed was staring her a bit odd. And the reason why was soon revealed.

"Hey Kujo, are you still hiding beneath your headband?" he asked, moving closer and ducking down so that he could see beneath the young girl's hood, but he was met with a blank face and the headband that covered her eyes, which were all but melting through the metal and fighting the urge to knock him out for being so close. She don't like people being too close to her. And he was definitely pushing it. Kujo probably would have hit him, but Temari beat her to it.

"Baka! That's no way to treat a guest, especially because she'll be staying for a while." She shouted, a welt forming where she had hit him. He straightened up and stepped back into line, rubbing the spot where he had been whacked. The last one to react was Gaara. He merely nodded before returning to his desk.

"Thanks for bringing her, Sadako." Temari said, a smile forming. Kujo felt slightly like she had been forgotten, which wasn't unusual.

"I'll be going then." Sadako said simply, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Well, Kujo-san, would you like me to show you to the house?" Temari asked, motioning towards the door. Kujo merely nodded, following the blonde haired kunoichi into the hall and grabbing her backpack as she went past.

"I think you'll like it here." She commented, again leading Kujo into the dry desert town. She followed her elder until they finally arrived at a large, tan house. Well, mansion was a better word to describe its massive size. It was absolutely huge. Temari lead the younger girl inside, showed her around the lower level of the house, and then up stairs, pointing out the bathroom, then each of the Sand Sibling's rooms, then at last, where Kujo would be staying.

"Remember, my room is all the way at the end of the hall, so, just knock if you need anything." She said before leaving the girl to redecorate.

The room was large, too large in her opinion, and equipped with a large dresser, a Queen sized feather bed, a night stand with a small lamp upon it, a closet, large arm chair and a low coffee table in front of it, and several other niceties that she really didn't need nor want. But, she would deal. So, Kujo started out by spreading out her belongings onto the bed, and began the room's reorganization. The sheets were replaced with her own dark blue set, and the thin white curtains that currently covered the large bay window in the center of the largest wall with thick black curtains that she had brought with so that she could at least remove her headband and open her eyes in her own room during the day. With that being said, the female unplugged the lamp and set it on a shelf in the closet, since she highly doubted that she would need it, and placed a large red candle in the previously barren spot. She then packed her clothes into the dresser, well; they would have taken up one drawer if she hadn't taken the time to separate them so that there were three or four articles of clothing in each drawer, before sitting on her bed. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but, it must have been pretty long because soon, the red haired Kazekage walked up the stairs and stopped the opening in the wall know as a door, which she hadn't bothered to close.

"I see you've begun to adjust, Manako-san." He said is his usual, inattentive yet oddly knowing voice, his eyes faintly scanning over the room. The female turned in his direction before nodding.

"I am. Thank you for your concern Kazekage-sama. And don't call me Manako. My name is Kujo." She corrected in a low, slightly angered tone, looking over him once again from beneath her headband, but just getting the same solid, red, body-shaped mass.

**'Lucky. Why do you get to be the dominant personality!?'**

_'What are you talking about?'_

**'Just look at him. He's not half bad looking.'**

_'Just shut up. My head hurts already and I don't need you bothering me more.'_

"You needn't be so formal." He pointed out, his face still cool and composed despite the female's previous rashness as he continued staring back at her through those aquamarine eyes that were so thickly outlined by black.

"Then how may I address you?" she asked in her usual cool tone, already forgetting her most previous tone and emotion, finally pulling her hood back to let her hair hang loosely.

"Gaara." He said simply. "Just Gaara. Kazekage makes me feel old."

"Alright." Was all she murmured. "Gaara it is." After she spoke, her fingers began shaking her hair loose and back into its usual messy state as her head returned to staring at the wall across from her, and the young man disappeared into the room opposite her own. Getting to her feet, she solidly shut the door and pulled her headband down so it hung loosely around her neck. Kujo saw her room for the first time. Shrouded in darkness to anyone but her.

_'Not bad…'_

**'Yeah. It's okay.'**

_'Nobody asked you!'_

-Now to Gaara's room!- (Because we all love being stalkers... )

_'Why did I feel like that…? It's like she was looking right through me. And I couldn't even see her eyes. Not to mention her temper… I can't believe she just out and disrespected me like that… '_

The young Kazekage's mind wandered from topic to topic as he sat down on the edge of his bed after his longest lasting interaction with their new house guest, his head resting limply in his large, wind burned hands as he combed over the details of their second meeting. The first was very bland, a simple introduction, but not much more.

**'Yeah. I actually agree with you kid. I felt like she was looking not at you, but at ME. And I do not like that feeling. But I happen to like her temper. It's odd for a woman to have that quality, not to mention it reminds me of you, pup.'**

_'No one cares what you like. And how does her temper remind you of me.'_

**'Eh. Just as ready to pounce, rip you to shreds and make you regret saying something you thought they hadn't heard.'**

Letting out a sigh, he again got to his feet. Crossing the room, he peered out the window, taking in the sights of the familiar city and then turning his youthful face to the sky. It was bright, like always, but beginning to dim as the sun started setting. His window faced the west, and he's always had a liking for sunsets, so, it's no wonder. As he thought everything over, today seemed… Odd.

_'It was… peaceful today. Not a lot of paperwork, no big mess ups, nothing.'_

**'It's too peaceful if you ask me.'**

_'Well, I didn't ask you. So shut up. I don't need you commenting on all my thoughts.'_

**'Well, you're lucky I'm only commenting on the thoughts you know you're thinking. I could be commenting on the thoughts you don't even know about.'**

_'Wait… What?'_

**'No. I'm shutting up. Just like you wanted.'**

_'Well, knowing you, that won't last long…'_

**'…'**

_'Eh. Whatever. I'm done talking to you.'_

With that, Gaara stood at the window, facing the sun as it sank behind the sandy horizon.

_'This girl's gonna be trouble… It's just, something about her isn't normal. Well, technically, I'm not either…'_

**'Got that right.'**

Shukaku was ignored that time and the male kept his eyes focused on the darkening sky.

A/N: Kei: Alrighty. That's the end of the short and somewhat pointless chapter 1.;-; I'm hoping for it to get better as the story continues. I tend to beat around the bush and procrastinate, but, I have nothing better to do, so, maybe an update every two days or so. Maybe sooner if I'm not entirely busy.. xD I hope to continue., so,( bet you saw this coming...) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Or else Kujo may go on a spree and kill you. O.O Kujo: I never said that!! Kei: But you were thinking it. Kujo: SO?! Kei: Well, to the readers, I hope I may have sparked your interest and you want to keep reading. And remember, constructive criticism is nice, but the kind that goes ""You're doing it wrong" is no help to me. In my humble opinion, there is no 'wrong way' unless you have no clue whatsoever about which you are writing. And I apologize ahead of time if I make someone seem a bit OOC. But, you know, it's easy to do and happens to the best of us. Well, the worst of us in my case. xD Anyway, thanks for reading. I'm really looking forward to feedback. Thanks a bunch!

Sincerely, Kei (And Kujo, of course. Even though she won't readily admit it. )


	2. Introduction to Suna

A/N: Kei: Alright, here's chapter 2. I haven't gotten any reviews yet, so, I hope this may encourage you to give me a pointer or two. Note: Gaara hasn't lost Shukaku yet. I may include that dilemma, I may not. Most likely the latter. Alrighty, well, let's begin.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

The female sat silently on her bed for a bit longer, well, a lot longer, maybe a few hours, before finally getting to her nimble feet and discarding her cloak over one of the chairs that sat in the corner of the room and exposing her (nearly) too thin body to Suna's harsh climate for the first time. Without noticing, she had relocated near instantaneously to the bay window, simply staring out at the slowly rising moon, several taller buildings forming black spots in her vision. Now that she could see Suna with her own eyes, no longer relying on her mind to give her a faint idea, it wasn't that bad. And the temperature was actually a bit comforting. The slight humidity she experienced when the window was swung open and perched her body on the ledge, one foot on the ground and the other pulled up tight to her chest with her narrow chin resting upon it, seemed to foreshadow a storm, but then again, you could never be too sure in the desert.

**'Hey girl.'**

'_What do you want now?'_

'**I dunno. I get lonely without Akira, Shouko, and all them bothering me.'**

'_Uh huh. So in turn, __you__ start bothering __me__._ _Real mature.'_

'**What can I say? I'm technically younger than you by… uhhh… 4 years?'**

'_That's not an excuse.'_

'**I wasn't making an excuse.'**

'_Yes you were. I may be psychotic, but I'm __not__ a moron.'_

'**Says she who talks to herself.'**

'_Just shut up… I CAN get rid of you too you know.'_

And that was all it took to get Annon to shut her trap. They say when a person has multiple personalities, they are unaware. That's not entirely true. There is usually a second in command. A Beta personality if you will. That was Annon. When Kujo was little and her many personalities were nearly uncontrollable, if she had lost her true conscious mind, it was Annon who decided which personalities exposed themselves. But just like all the others, she was simply another level of human consciousness and could easily be removed if truly desired. And she knew the teen wouldn't hesitate if she pushed her too hard. The young woman continued to stare out at the large city, her eyes picking out minorities that were ignored otherwise. After a bit of sitting, she climbed out of her large window and hauled her already tired body onto the roof. Though she was exhausted from the trip, she would never show it. Showing people that you were weak only made them feel stronger. And that's not what she had been put on this earth for. She knew she had a place, though she just hasn't found it yet. Without thought, she pulled both her legs up to her chest and with her chin tucked between the notch that they created and a pair of long arms wrapped protectively around herself, a pair of green eyes continued to stare ahead, thinking things over.

Like how she longed to see the light of day without having to wear sunglasses of some kind, or actually relax her guard. Even just sitting onto of the large building, her muscles were tense and the pair of already very observant eyes keener now that she was sitting out in the open. Those damn Sound Ninja. Ever since Orochimaru learned of her clan's Kekkai Genaki, the _Shigai Shikaku_, he's obviously been trying to get his hands on one and find out their secrets. And now, she was away from her clan, with everyone around her completely unaware of her current situation and only one partically knowledgeable about her unstable mindset. Temari had been a rather caring friend, much like Sadako, and managed to ease Kujo's pain on the rare occasion she accompanied her father to visit Suna or vice versa. Thinking back, she could remember meeting Kankurou once or twice, though she couldn't quite remember what she had thought of him at the time. As her mind jumped back to Orochimaru, she became on her guard again.

A sound alerted her immediately. It was an odd swirling sound… It sounded like… Sand? She pulled her headband over her eyes to hide them once more before glancing over her shoulder. Kujo wasn't entirely sure whom she was expecting to see, but who she did see was a slightly familiar face that she had encountered not too long ago.

'_What's the Kazekage doing here?' _was all that entered her mind when the familiar red aura took shape.

He seemed to notice as well, but said nothing. The female's head followed him as he walked over and sat a few feet to her right, at which point her face turned back to the rising moon.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" The male's voice broke the silence, his face still expressionless and his pair of aquamarine eyes focused ahead.

"Does it matter?" Kujo finally replied after a drawn out silence. Truth be told, she was surprised he hadn't started fidgeting in one way or another.

"I suppose not." Were the last words breathed into the thick night air.

Neither moved, each seeming to find a comfortable position. Kujo still sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, and Gaara with one leg bent, the other outstretched and one arm rested on his bent knee, leaving the other to help support his weight. They sat like so for quite a while before Annon decided to rear her ugly head.

'**Hey, look at him.'**

'_What? Why?'_

'**Because he's looking at you.'**

Feeling his gaze on her face, her eye's shifted to her right and stared back from under her headband. As if knowing that she was staring back, Gaara's eyes refocused on now exposed last-quarter sliver of moon. It was at that time that Shukaku decided to speak up as well.

'**What was that?! I felt her staring at me again.'**

'_Heh. You. She can't even see you. But she sees me. How do you think I feel? It's not normal by any means to be able to feel a stare through a solid object.'_

'**Maybe it is.'**

'_What are you talking about? There is no way that it's normal.'_

'**What's the girl's last name again?'**

'_Manako. I think.'_

'**That explains it then.'**

'_What do you know about her that you're not telling me?'_

'**Ah… I'll tell you later.'**

A sigh escaped the male's lips after Shukaku's last remark. Why did he always have to do that 'I'll tell you later' bit. It was just downright annoying. Maybe he'd find out himself.

"Kujo-san?"

The prefix caught her a bit off guard, but she managed an answer, complete with a hint of sarcasm.

"Yes Gaara-kun?"

The male's eye twitched oh so slightly but he continued anyway.

"Why do you hide your eyes?"

The question caught the female off guard and she inhaled quickly, causing a smirk to arise on the Kazekage's face. He was obviously proud that he had got a reaction out of her. She sat for a few moments, not quite sure how to answer.

"Because." She stated simply, her previous expression having left her face.

"Because isn't an answer."

"Or is it?"

This was beginning to get on his nerves. Why wouldn't she just spill. He wasn't used to not getting straight forward answers. The temptation was killing him, so, being as brave as he was, he reached out in an attempt to poke the young woman's shoulder. He wanted to know just how good she could see with that headband over her eyes. He was convinced that she couldn't see at all when his finger was only about an inch from her thin arm. A sharp slap noise broke the silence as pale fingers wrapped around Gaara's wrist. There was a glimpse of surprise in his eyes, but it was quickly covered with the customary blank stare. Kujo had reacted faster than he expected and her grip was rather convincing that she didn't want to be touched.

"For the record, I saw that." Was all she said before letting go of his wrist, getting to her feet and moving closer to the end of the roof. When she finally came to a halt, she stood exactly on the edge. Reaching up slowly, Kujo's nimble fingers pulled the Mist headband down so it rested around her neck. The sun could no longer blind her, but, the moon's light was even a little on the brighter side to her when the headband was first removed once more. Her eyes remained green as she continued to look around, getting a complete view of the city through real eyes. This view allowed her to look down and all around where as her previous position only allowed her vision across most of the roof tops.

Gaara still sat there, puzzling over what she had said.

'_So what if she caught my hand. There's no way she could have caught that. It wasn't even there a second.'_

'**She didn't need to see your eyes kid to see that surprise.'**

'_What is that supposed to mean?'_

'**Oh… Nothing.'**

'_Be prepared to tell me next time or don't say anything!'_

Looking up at her, his eyes narrowed slightly and his determination renewed when he caught glimpse of the headband now hanging around her neck. Slowly standing, he walked over and stood the same distance from her that he had once been sitting, but not as close to the edge.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he spoke finally in his most demanding Kazekage-like voice.

"How did you see my eyes?"

Kujo merely let out a soft snigger before tilting her head up and a bit to the right so she was looking in his direction.

"Trust me. I don't need to see your eyes to read your reaction." Was all she said, still staring at him.

Her lips curled into a small smirk when she saw the same orange color flicker through his aura.

"Then how did you see it?" he continued, his eyes locked on hers. It was truly difficult to not actually stare on account that the things that she so zealously hid was practically like looking at a glare on green glass. The same, white reflective shine over top of pale green. Not normal. They looked… _animalistic. _For lack of a better word of course. Though the word feline would work as well, and would probably be the better word that no one would have thought existed.

"It's written right here." The kunoichi finally said after a pause longer than the last as her gaze seemed to bore a hole right through him. The same orange ripple appeared diagonally over his lower chest when she touched it. "Yep. Right there." She commented, reassuring him more than herself.

'_She actually touched me… Heh. She's got more guts than I thought.'_

'**Well, she's probably thinking the same thing. Except that you never actually touched her without her knowing.'**

'_You're starting to annoy the shit out of me, so, just keep your mouth shut.'_

The female droppedher hand back to her side as she turned her head back out towards the silver-white moon.

'**He's certainly entertaining.'** Annon mused, feeling that her opinion actually mattered to Kujo.

'_Whatever. He's not bad or anything. Just, odd. Did you notice how dark is it around his eyes? It's like he never sleeps. That's not healthy.'_

'**Hypocrite. And since when did you care about other people's well-being.'**

'_I don't. I'm just stating a fact. And I do sleep. Just not very well.'_

'**Sure…'**

The young woman fought the urge to roll her eyes so instead she sat down once more, this time not as confined and uptight. She lay back against the hard roof, her weight being supported by her elbows as her legs were outstretched and not much help in said department.

Gaara stayed standing for a bit longer before sitting down once more in the same position as last time.

'_Why don't I mind being by her? I can't even stand it when Temari or Kankurou are this close to me.'_

'**Well, it's Temari and Kankurou's job to bug you. Not hers. So, she's not your sibling and she's just a person, so, it's not like she matters to you the way they do.'**

Gaara didn't reply because he caught Kujo shifting her position out of the corner of his eye. Her body lay flat against the roof and her hands were rested one over the other atop her stomach, her eyes staring up at the starlight sky.

"You never answered my question." He finally pointed out, fighting the urge to look towards her, just to see her reaction.

"Which one? You asked about… three." As she spoke, her face remaining blank.

He thought about it for a moment."I only asked two."

"But, I have a feeling you're going to ask another."

He let out a sigh. "Why do you want to hide your eyes?"

No answer came, and her face showed a slight pang of discomfort. She finally sat up, keeping her gaze straight ahead. For some reason, a voice in her head, besides Annon's, was yelling at her to tell him everything, so that maybe someone would have an idea about what's going on in her life. Finally, she spoke. "It's not that I want to, it's that I have to." She couldn't bring herself to do it. Kujo couldn't drag anyone else into this. In the pit of her stomach, she knew Orochimaru would find out about her father dying, and her moving to Suna, and he'd come. She knew it. Getting to her feet, she stopped about a foot from the edge of the roof that hung over the bay window to her room before turning to face him.

"Good night, Gaara-kun." Not a twinge of arrogance or sarcasm was in her voice when she said his name. Her body bent over backwards, her fingers resting on the edge and holding on tightly, she swung one leg over her body then the other, using the momentum to soar easily through her open window, thus marking her exit and the end of the conversation. She used that move often, usually using it as an evasive maneuver, but a dramatic exit worked too. When done quickly, it resembled a backwards cartwheel, making it all the more interesting.

'_Great, we have a contortionist on our hands.'_ The male thought with a soft smirk.

'**I thought you'd pick that up right away the way you were staring at her. Even I saw it, her body just screams 'Taijutsu master'.'**

'_I wasn't staring at her.'_

'**Then do enlighten me as to how you were looking at her.'**

He never answered. He didn't want to answer. Simply put, he couldn't come up with an answer.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

When Kujo woke up the next morning, around 6 according to her clock, and stumbled into the hall in a white tank top and loose, much too long black sweats, an ensemble that she considered 'pj's', only to be instantly blinded by the sun that shone through a small window off to her left and nearly dropping the set of clothes, bottle of shampoo, and soap that she cradled in her left arm. Placing her hand over her closed eyes, she walked more confidently towards the bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she placed her clean set of clothes on the edge of the sink and keeping the lights off, she opened her eyes 

once more. There were no windows in the bathroom, so, being blinded wasn't a possibility. And the sliver of light that crept beneath the door was practically just as good as having the lights on. Sighing, she turned on the shower until it was cold enough to practically put ice water to shame. Undressing quickly, she slipped into the cold shower and let it drench her thoroughly, not a shiver racketing her thin frame or a goose bump rising on her flesh. It should be obvious that cold wasn't an issue to her. She stayed in only long enough to wash her hair and body before stepping out, grabbing a towel from the rack and drying her skin off, just to begin dressing immediately afterwards.

She had just finished when the door began to rattle from a fist being banged against it. "Hurry up Temari! I want some hot water too!" The voice was obviously male and extremely groggy as if he had just woken up. Sighing, the female tied her shinobi headband over her eyes before opening the door to be confronted with a blue-green mass of aura.

"Bathroom's yours Kankurou." She said simply, a soft smirk forming when she caught sight of the flash of yellow that appeared in the middle of his chest. Plain embarrassment.

"Heh… Sorry 'bout that Kujo. Temari is usually the one using all the hot water in the morning." He explained, a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his head in a very Kankurou-ish way.

"You don't have to worry about me using the hot water up since I don't use at all." The kunoichi said simply, slipping past him into the hall as a bubbly, pink aura confronted her.

"Have any plans today Kujo?" Temari asked eagerly, a smile apparent on her face.

"Not yet, but, I'm sure you'll have plans for me." The other female answered after hearing the bathroom door close behind her.

"You bet I do. I'm taking you shopping."

'**Did she just say shopping?!'**

'_Yeah. Why?'_

'**Just get something good. I don't want to look bad.'**

'_Shut up. It's my body you're living in. I'll get what I like and you'll sit and watch.'_

Getting no protest as Temari dragged the younger girl from the house after allowing her only enough time to toss her pj's into her bedroom. Finally, Kujo had to ask.

"Okay. Spill. What's the occasion?"

"You don't know? The Tanabata Festival is coming up."

The young girl's nose wrinkled slightly in concentration. "You mean like the story with the Weaver girl and the shepherd? They still celebrate that?"

"We do it every year." Temari pointed out, grinning. "So, we're going to get you a kimono to wear."

"You don't have to Temari. I mean, really." Kujo protested, frowning slightly.

"Just think of it as a Welcome present."

Sighing in submission, Kujo managed a shadow of a smile. "Thanks." She said softly, not by any means used to being treated this nicely.

"And I bet I'll find a few other things to get you." The older kunoichi added, a hint of mischief visible in her aura.

"That can't be good…" the younger female pointed out, the very corners of her mouth curving up a little. Mischief was her middle name after all.

As promised, Temari lead her underling to a large, traditional shop first. The walls were covered with different colors and patterns of fabrics. The store was rather dark, so, Kujo was able to slip her headband ever so slightly from over her one eye to get a look at the fabrics. One caught her eye right away. The black swatch of silk had a pattern of many colored flowers, some more star shaped and the others with rounded or nicked petals. The background of the flowers was of golden-tan silk with a slightly darker swirling pattern. The girl could only assume that that was the decoration along the bottom hem and sleeves.

"This one." The kunoichi said simply, a hint of happiness in her voice as she picked it up.

Hearing her selection, the owner of the shop, a hunched over, older woman with thinning gray hair, a kind, grandmotherly face, and many wrinkles to match, scuttled over to the two.

"You're in luck dear. I just finished making one of that pattern right before you girls came in. If I hadn't, you'd have to wait a while." The woman said, smiling warmly at the two. "And the obi and geta come with it." She added, her grin broadening. "Try on the shoes over there and see which pair fits you best." With that, the woman shuffled into a small back room to retrieve the kimono. And Temari, reacting on instinct, lead Kujo to where the woman pointed and began picking out shoes that she thought might fit. After a few pair, they finally found the right size and brought them to the counter where the shop keeper was already waiting with the kimono wrapped in brown paper and tied shut with twine. Temari dug through the small coin purse she had brought with and laid the amount out on the counter and taking the package before handing it to Kujo.

"Here you go." She said, grinning broadly.

The young girl took the package and held it close, pacing the shoes atop it. "Thanks again." She mumbled as Temari lead her from the store and towards another. From beneath her headband, Kujo couldn't tell exactly which kind of store until they were inside and Kujo again peeked out.

"You're joking. What the hell are we doing here?" She let out, slight distress in her voice. Her jaw hung open and Temari instantly started laughing. She wasn't used to seeing Kujo react that way to practically anything and thought it hilarious. I mean honestly, it was just a lingerie store after all. Temari personally went here all the time.

"Come on. We're not getting anything over the top. Just something nice. And a little frilly. You gotta be a girl sometime." Temari pointed out, her seriousness beginning to return.

Despite her better judgment, Kujo nodded. "Fine. But nothing pink. Or yellow." She said simply.

"Don't worry, we'll find you something." With that, Temari headed off on a manhunt for that perfect nightdress while Kujo just roamed around, not looking for anything in particular.

"Alright, get your butt over here. I have a few things for you to try on." The sudden outburst jerked the young kunoichi back into reality and she made her way over to where Temari was standing with three dresses in her arms. She handed them over to Kujo before pushing her into the dressing room and shutting the door behind her.

Kujo didn't get completely undressed, simply removing the two top layers of her shirts. The small dressing room was an actual room and had a light and switch. Leaving the switch off, she tried on the first dress, a short mint green outfit. But, deciding it wasn't really 'her style', she lay it on the chair and tried on the next. The next one wasn't as 'not her style' as the last, but, still not right. With a sigh, she picked up the last. She didn't even need to try it on.

'_What do you think?'_

'**Oh, NOW you want my opinion.'**

'_Ugh. Just answer me.'_

'**Though I hate to admit it, I like it.'**

'_What do you think of the kimono?'_

'**Eh. It's okay.'**

Letting a soft smile form, Kujo slipped the other two dresses onto their hangers before slinging the dress she picked over her arm. As Kujo stepped back out into the store, Temari's keen eye picked up on the thin black piece of cloth draped over her arm.

"I thought you'd like that best for some reason." Temari pointed out, smiling at the female as she placed the two other outfits on the nearest rack then leading her underling to the checkout counter. The lady behind this counter was much different than the shop keeper of the previous store. Tall with thick brown hair and bright brown eyes to match. She didn't look as sweet and had more of a sex appeal to her in comparison to the grandmotherly old woman. But, she was smiling as she rang up the dress and put in into a large bag, which Kujo also placed the kimono and geta in as well.

"Let's get home before you drag me anywhere else." Kujo said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. This time it was her turn to drag Temari, which she did, back to the house.

Once they had arrived back at the 'mansion', as Kujo called it, she assured Temari that she'd let her drag her shopping again some other time before going up to her room. Heaving a sigh, and closing the door behind her, she began to put away her new clothing.

Of course she put the small, thin, night dress in the back of the closet, covering it up with her kimono. Sighing, she flopped down on her bed and sprawled her limbs out. Kujo soon found herself humming like she used to as a child. A song she hasn't sung aloud in an even longer amount of time. Turning on her side, she removed her headband and laid it beside her on the bed, using her toes on either foot to pry her sandal off the other in turn before curling up and closing her eyes.

'**Are you actually going to go to the Tanabata Festival?'**

'_I'm not sure. But, I think I might.'_

'**Well, just don't do anything stupid.'**

'_Don't worry, that's your job and I certainly wouldn't want to take it from you.'_

'**You know what I mean. Don't get yourself in trouble.'**

'_Now who's the hypocrite?'_

Annon let out a mental sigh. **'Fine, don't take my advice.'**

'_I won't.'_

Getting no reply, Kujo slowly drifted into a slumber that lasted a few hours. A soft knock on the door, much unlike the battering ram Kankurou had made his fist into that morning, caused her to once again regain consciousness. Acting on instinct, she wrapped her shinobi headband over her eyes before muttering a subtle "Come in."

The pink aura that confronted her told her that Temari had entered her room and wasn't surprised when a female's voice spoke. "Dinner's ready."

"Alright… I'll be right down." Kujo muttered in reply, getting to her feet and stretching her arms up over her head.

Smiling, Temari hurried back downstairs, calling out something to whoever else was down there. She didn't sound happy, but, the younger female couldn't quite make out the words that were spoken. With a sigh, she left the comfort of her room and walked quickly down the stairs, her feet making a soft padding sound against the hardwood floor.

Upon entering the kitchen, she observed Temari hovering over Kankurou with a wooden spoon in her hand that seemed to be the cause of the bump forming on the male's head. As she walked in, Gaara, who had been previously been watching his siblings quarrel, turned to glare at her for a moment, in which amount of time, Temari had seated herself on Kankurou's right at the rectangular table, putting her also on Gaara's left. So, Kujo slipped herself into the seat on Kankurou's left and Gaara's right. Looking at the food in front of her, she felt her stomach begin to flip. It wasn't so much the sight that made her stomach act like so, it was the smell. When Temari asked what she would like, Kujo picked the one thing that smelled like it should.

"Just a bowl of rice." She mumbled in her naturally soft tone, staring at the table in front of her.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to starve or anything."

'_Could've fooled me.'_ Kujo thought numbly before nodding. "Yeah. I'm not very hungry today, so, rice should be enough." She added, raising and lowering one shoulder. It's not that she was ever exceptionally hungry, but today truthfully she wasn't very hungry, despite the fact that she hadn't eaten since yesterday. Not to mention their excursion that day.

With a slightly unconvinced expression on her face, Temari complied and filled a single bowl with rice before handing it across the table to Kujo, who set it in front of her before starting to eat. Temari moved around the table, first to Gaara, who didn't take much of anything, then to Kankurou who actually took quite a bit. Temari herself didn't eat much, possibly confirming Kujo's suspicions of her cooking not exactly being the best. Kujo finished quickly and set the bowl gently in the sink before returning to the table and sitting in her place.

"You don't have to wait for us to finish Kujo. You can leave if you want." Temari pointed out, frowning gently.

"Alright. Just call me when you're all done so I can do the dishes." Kujo mumbled and without waiting for an answer, disappeared upstairs.

Once she was gone, Temari sighed. "It seems that whenever I get close to her, she draws back. Like today, I took her shopping and got a smile out of her. I think…" she explained, looking to her brothers for suggestions.

Kankurou looked to her and began talking with food in his mouth. " Vy von't vu…" he swallowed before continuing, " try just talking to her?"

Temari stared at him for a moment. "You know, sometimes you're not completely useless." A grin formed on her face. "I just may try that."

'_I would say that she isn't much of a talker, but, then they may start asking questions.'_

'**What kind of questions?' **the Shukaku sneered.

'_Oh… Like, 'How would you know?' or something like that.'_

'**Or, 'Did you scare her silent?' How 'bout that?'**

'_SHUT UP! You're fucking annoying. Just, stop talking. You're making my headache worse.'_

Kankurou finished soon after Kujo had left, the Temari. "Gaara, are you almost done?" Temari asked as she was about leave the kitchen. The male nodded, still picking at his food.

"Kujo, you can start washing the dishes!" The female called up the stairs. She was answered by a door opening and closing, then footsteps across the ceiling and finally down the stairs. The young female walked into the kitchen, and gazed around before looking to the male remaining in the kitchen.

"Do you mind if I turn the lights off?" she asked softly, reaching towards the light switch.

Gaara glanced up for a minute before shaking his head 'No.' He was almost done anyway. With a subtle click, the room was plunged into darkness. There was a slight shuffling sound, like china being moved around, then a soft thunk right in front of the male's face, causing his eyes to widen slightly. A snap sound, followed by low crackle announced the lighting of a match. The room became partially illuminated when Kujo touched the match to the wick of a tall white candle that she had placed on the table.

"I saw that." She pointed out in a low voice, a soft smirk forming on her flawless face. Her headband was once again around her neck, her eyes taking on the feline-like shine. But this time, they weren't green. Her irises were a startling red-violet tint. The male only got a quick look at them before she turned away and stood by the sink. Turning the faucet on, she put a plug into the sink and put a small amount of soap in before removing the glove over her right hand and the sleeve over her left and rolling her sleeves up to her elbows. As soon as the water reached the 'half-way' mark in the sink, she turned it off and began scrubbing the dishes with a cloth.

She was nearly finished when she heard Gaara rise from the table and come towards the sink to put his utensils and such into the mix. She was sure he'd just drop it in then leave. But, she was proved wrong. A hard surface, almost like marble, pressed against her shoulder blade as the male's arm stretched out in front of her and his body leaned forward oh so slightly to let his plate and bowl slip into the sink. Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt his breath brush against her ear, an involuntary blush forming on her face. Kujo caught his lips twisting into a smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"I saw that." He said in a low, oddly sick yet playful tone. "Now we're even."

With that, he turned and exited the room, leaving Kujo in a slightly delirious state.

'_What the fuck was that?'_

'**Heh. I think you liked it…'**

'_No. I didn't. It felt… Odd.'_

'**But you like odd things, don't you?'**

'_Shut up. I don't need you to talk to me about being odd. I know I'm not normal and I don't need you rubbing salt on the wound.'_

Annon probably would have continued if Kujo hadn't pulled the plug from the sink and used the sucking sound of the water being drawn down the drain to drown out her naggy other half. For once in her life, she didn't know why something made her feel the way she did. After tying her headband back over her eyes, she slowly made her way upstairs, her fingertips pressed to her temples.

'_Why does my stomach hurt…?'_

'**Well, you haven't eaten anything in a while…'**

'_Are you kidding, I just ate! And besides, it's not a hunger hurt. I know when I'm hungry. It's like, ugh… I can't explain it.'_

The female sat on the edge of her bed after closing the door behind her and pulling her shinobi band from over her eyes. There was a small sliver of light peaking from beneath the door that lit up the room, in her eyes anyway. With a slight groan, she flopped back on her bed and placed her hands over her stomach in an attempt to calm the frogs that seemed to be bouncing around in her stomach.

'**I think I know what's going on…'**

'_I really don't care, but, what do you think is going on?'_

'**I think you like him.'** Annon sang in a tauntingly playful voice.

'_That's impossible. How could I ever like him? Do tell.'_

Getting no answer, Kujo soon drifted off into a light slumber, the male across the hall doing the exact opposite. He was restless as ever, seated on the floor, paperwork scattered about him in all directions. He was mumbling to himself over some matter about Orochimaru being sighted from Kirigakure, heading towards Konoha and Suna just a day ago. What would he want in Suna, since Konoha was pretty much out of his reach? Truth be told, their defenses weren't top notch, so, he wouldn't have a 

problem getting in, but, what would he want? The only thing he could think of would be to overthrow him and take over Sunagakure as its Kazekage.

'_If that's what he's planning, it's not going to happen.'_

'**Well, that may not be it.'**

'_Well, then, what are your professional thoughts?'_

'**I thought you'd pick it out right away. That girl is his objective.'**

'_What the hell are you talking about?'_

The Shukaku let out a sigh. **'Okay, I guess I better start talking. The Manako clan, her clan if you've already forgotten, have been around since nearly as long as I have. I've only had the pleasure of coming in contact with two, her being the second. The first was a close friend of one of my previous holders. The two were exceptionally close, and, well, I don't know everything, but, I know enough to say that he's after her eyes.'**

'_Wow. You actually didn't leave me hanging for once. It's a miracle.'_

'**What can I say? I suppose I can be useful sometimes.'**

'_Well, you're suspicion is possible, but, are you sure that he could be after her?'_

'**I'm pretty sure. Well, I have good reason to believe. There's more to her than meets the eye. No pun intended.'**

Gaara let out a sigh, resting his head in his hands for a moment. He was still trying to decide what to do in such an event. He got to his feet, needing to clear his head to think, on account that Orochimaru wasn't his only worry. He made his way up to the roof and found a place on the vast area to sit down. He was alone for only a short time before another presence caught his attention. Kujo, who he mostly expected, sat down beside him; her eyes now green from being in the moon's natural light. The male caught this and questioned her about it.

"They're only green when I'm in natural light." She mumbled, deciding it was safe to tell him this much. "Otherwise, they're kind of pinkish-red."

He nodded, glancing over at her for a moment. Her face held a strong look of concentration as she looked out over the roofs in front of her.

Soon his curiosity got the best of him. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing to concern you." Kujo replied simply, closing her eyes and sighing. "So, how's your other half?" she then asked, changing the subject as quickly as she could.

"What do you mean my 'other half'?" He faced her, trying to decipher what her words meant.

"You know damn well what I mean. I'm not stupid." She said, a twinge of anger in her voice. "I don't like people trying to lie to me." Her eyes opened and she sat up before turning her whole body to face him. "I can see him. He's right there." She said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she poked the middle of the male's forehead. His eyes widened when she left her finger there and closed her eyes. He felt a jolt from her finger and tried to pull away, but, he couldn't. It was like he was paralyzed.

After about a minute, the female opened her eyes and removed her finger from his forehead. As soon as he was able to move, he caught her wrist and glared at her. "What did you just do?" Anger was apparent in his voice, not to mention that his words were practically dripping with poison.

"Nothing much. Just had a short conversation with your friend." She mumbled, raising and lowering one shoulder. Her face and eyes portrayed no fear of his tone or of him in general.

"What do you mean my 'friend'?" His words were even angrier. It was like he actually wouldn't have minded killing her right then and there.

"Shukaku." As she spoke, her expression turned into something Gaara had never seen on her before. Was that… a _smile? _

His expression immediately softened, taking on a slight look of disbelief and surprise. He dropped her arm on account that the tingle that her skin was admitting was becoming overwhelming. Why it was affecting him like so was beyond him. It struck him like a punch at the gut to see her smiling… She looked… pretty. He actually looked away and took a minute to stare at the Eastern horizon to calm his nerves and the strange sensation that was battering his stomach.

Finally, once he was sure his voice wouldn't waver, he spoke in a tone as close to his normal one that he could get while still recovering from a hint of shock. "Why aren't you afraid?" Gaara mumbled, looking at her again, his eyes locking on hers immediately.

"Am I supposed to be? Some oversized raccoon with temper issues and an inflated ego doesn't scare me." She said simply, her tone beholding a hint of laughter and her eyes seeming to glow from the inside with slight smugness hiding a pool of emotions that could only be found in her eyes.

He stared at her for a moment, trying to decide if her bravery was real or forced. After a few minutes of staring, he decided she wasn't lying. Kujo wasn't any more afraid of him and Shukaku than she was of anyone else. And from what he could tell, she really wasn't afraid of much.

That was all that night's conversation held. But he still had questions that he wanted to ask, but didn't know how to say them.

A/N: Finally done. Still kinda short, but, what can I say. It's a work in progress. I'm not sure how many chapters this will last, but, I have a lot of events I want to fit in, so, I'm hoping it'll last. On that note, please review. I'll love you forever if you do. Remember, making characters OOC is an easy thing to do, so, please tell me if I did it and I'll try to fix it up best I can. K? Thanks everyone for reading. )

-Kei


	3. Tango with the snake

A/N: Wow. Finally finished chapter 3. Huzzah. Well, here it is.  
Credit to my Beta: diggydawg

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

Temari spent the night awake, trying to think of a way to get Kujo to open up and feel more comfortable in her new home. Finally, an idea came.

'_I'll invite Sadako, and we'll all have a lingerie party. That way, Kujo can wear the new dress I got her and we can just all talk and be, well, girls.' _

The next day, she immediately sent the invite to the Mist village kunoichi. Proud of her brilliance, the female kept smiling the whole day. And the best part, the get together was six days away, the night of the Tanabata festival. Sadako would be coming up for that anyway. So, she would already be there and spend the night. Even as she delivered more paperwork to her baby brother, he caught sight of her unusually ecstatic demeanor and raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"What's got you so happy?" he mumbled before scratching his signature on the document and laying it aside onto a steadily growing, rather askew pile.

"Oh, nothing. Here's your next stack of people's random ramblings." She announced, letting the stack fall on the desk with a loud, sharp 'slap'. "I just hope that you don't get arthritis by the time you turn 25." She muttered, letting the smile disappear from her face for a fraction of a second before returning.

'_Oh… I can't wait until the festival…'_ she mused, imagining all the things that the girls would do, just like little girls at a slumber party. Except they would be much older now, but the same principles would apply. Manicures and pedicures, make-overs, sharing secrets, truth or dare, all that kiddy stuff. She never really got to do any of that stuff because people were afraid to come over.

"Are you just going to stand there? Or do you have a purpose for looming over me?" Gaara's cool voice shattered her reminiscing.

"Oh, sorry. Spaced out." The female muttered before scuttling from the office, closing the door behind her. _'I guess I'll go see what Kujo's up to.'_

Meanwhile, said person had confined herself to her room, scribbling out her thoughts onto a scroll that lay in front of her on the floor. Writing things out always seemed to help her organize her thoughts. Well, both hers and Annon's. Biting her bottom lip, she paused to read over what she had written. Mostly, she was figuring out dates and such. Well, possible dates at least. Just guesstimates. No, not estimates, an estimate would imply doing research and forming a hypothesis. This was simply guessing what could happen and planning possible outcomes. Simply, they were guesses, hence the term. Some 'guesstimates' weren't good. Oh, I believe I forgot to mention what she was planning. What to do if a certain reptile-like Sound ninja came after her. Deep in her heart, Kujo knew the encounter was impending. She just needed to decide how much time she could possibly have.

The female was ripped from her thoughts by a soft rapping on the door.

Jerking her headband up over her red-violet eyes and rolling the scroll up, she muttered the traditional phrase.

"Come in." her voice was quite, but, just loud enough for the knocker to hear.

"Kujo-san, I was wondering if you wanted to go have lunch or something." The kunoichi, whom appeared as a dark pink mass of aura, said after entering Kujo's stark domain.

"I'm kinda busy now… Maybe another time." The younger female mumbled in reply.

Nodding in understanding, Temari put on a smile and slipped from the room, closing the door behind her. The female that remained in the room dropped her head into her hands, a soft groan emitting from her throat. No person should have to deal with such, well, such anticipation. No, not fear, not hatred of the devil that could be coming for her. She wanted to meet him face to face. She wanted him dead. Another groan escaped the female and she lay back on the floor, hands pressed to her forehead to fight off a seething headache that had been brewing for the past few hours, and chose now to hit her full force.

'**Hey… Take a nap. I'll wake you up if anything happens.'**

'_Why should I take a nap?'_

'**Because. If you're tired, and something happens, you can't fight very well. And if you get hurt, then I get hurt.'**

'_Of course there's a catch… I know you're not that considerate.'_

'**Duh. Just, go to sleep. Trust me, okay.'**

'_Don't forget. I die, you die too.'_

That was the last of the conversation. The young woman let herself succumb to sleep, the darkness pulling her down into the depths of the abyss.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

Gaara's head was throbbing by the time he staggered up the stairs to his room. Closing the door with a soft thud behind him, the male sat down on his large bed before laying back and placing his hand over the accursed mark on his forehead. Love. What a word.

'**Hey pup. Something's not right.'**

'_What do you mean?'_

'**Nothing to worry about. Yet. Something just doesn't feel right around here.'**

'_Like I said before, if you aren't going to explain something, don't even bother saying anything.'_

'**I have a feeling that in a short time, you'll be thanking me.'**

'_Just shut up already. I have more than enough on my mind.'_

With that, he ended the conversation. His aquamarine eyes closed tightly, turning into two, curved, black lines.

Not too long later, his eyes flickered open to sounds on the roof. They were like footsteps, but, not of anyone he knew. Kankurou's were much heavier, Temari's lighter, and Kujo's made no sound at all. Sitting up, he transported himself to the roof, using his sand as a teleporter. When he rematerialized and looked around, no one was there. His cold, empty eyes scanned the surrounding rooftops, but, not a figure in sight. He was about to teleport himself back when a familiar figure flung itself onto the roof, not a sound breaking the stillness as Kujo straightened up before turning to face him. Her headband was around her neck so her green eyes were what caught sight of him, but, she didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"Hello Gaara." She murmured before planting herself on the roof and rolling out a scroll. The same scroll she had been previously writing in.

"Hello Kujo." He replied, his voice still monotone and lifeless as ever. "Have fun." He muttered before doing what he was about to do before she showed up, leaving the female alone on the roof to think.

-O.O.O.O.O.O.O-

The next two days passed rather quickly, mostly because on the second day, Temari and Kankurou had left on a top secret scouting mission, leaving Kujo home with the Demon of the Sand himself. Those two days she stayed secluded as well. The night was when she decided to play, showing her face to the world for a short time before returning to her 'hole', as she called it. Dark, secluded, undisturbed, it seemed like the perfect name. The third night, the night she finally calculated all she could, was the night she least expected. As she slipped from her window that night and perched on the roof, the whole world around her seemed… Odd. There were no crickets, no wind, and most importantly, it was dark. Much too dark. She pulled her headband back up over her eyes, hiding them from the sight of others once again.

"Come child… It's not nice to hide your eyes from your elders." A voice purred. A cold yet oddly seductive purr. In truth, it was more of a hiss.

"So, Orochimaru-sama, you've finally decided to strike." The young woman muttered, her head tilted towards the ground.

"Indeed I have. And I must say, you were raised well. Very polite, very sensible." The voice seemed to be slithering closer because the echo started to die out.

"Now, Kujo-san, may I have a look at those eyes? "His request was more of a command, and he acted as if she had already said yes. Reaching out, he was about to touch her headband, when she grabbed his wrist.

"It's not polite to touch a lady without her permission." Kujo hissed, tilting her head at a slight angle. "And besides… I don't let just anybody see my eyes. You have to earn it." She hissed, letting go of his pale limb and taking a step back. "But, I can't guarantee that you'll actually survive." She added."By the way, nice clone." Her voice became a whisper when she said this.

As if being recognized as a clone was the way to dispel it, the Orochimaru that had been standing in front of her turned to mud and sunk to the ground. Another Orochimaru appeared behind her, placing a kunai to her neck.

"Another clone? Please." She said softly. Barely moving, Kujo stuck two fingers into a pressure point, causing the jutsu to dispel.

**'Kujo, you need to get out of here.'**

_'Why?'_

**'You're in the middle of the city. On top of your house. If it goes that far, you could hurt someone.'**

_'So what if I do?'_

**'Just listen to me for once.'**

**  
**_'Fine.'_ With that, the female took off. Her body zipped over housetops, around metal poles and ducked beneath kunais that flew through the air as she went. Without realizing it, she soon found herself in a decrepit part of town. The whole area looked run-down, abandoned. Even hostile.

**'This is good. There's no one here besides you and that goon.'** Annon announced, allowing Kujo to stop.

"Why were you running Kujo-san?" the voice purred, practically in her ear now.

"Do you honestly think I want to get your guts all over my house? Please." She muttered in reply, a rather wicked grin taking over her face as she stooped her body down slightly.

"Oh come now… Must we fight?" a dark figure asked from its perch in the shadow of a large piece of wood propped against a small protrusion that poked from the roof on which the two stood.

"You've finally decided to show yourself. I was beginning to think you were afraid of me." The female purred, staying in her current position.

"Now, why would I be afraid of you ,child? You're no threat after all… " he said softly, stepping from the shadow in which he had been hiding.

"You clearly haven't done your homework, Orochimaru." Kujo said softly, her grin turning into a smirk.

**'Enough chatting… Get him.'**

_'Don't have to tell me twice.'_

With that, she took off. She didn't use her full speed, but even so she was rather quick. Though he would never show it, Orochimaru was caught off guard when she nearly landed a punch, but, he caught her hand, throwing her back and adding a punch in the stomach for effect. The moment his and came in contact with the female's stomach, she disappeared and left only a smoke cloud behind. Just a clone.

"And I thought you were going to come at me head on." The male taunted, his overconfidence rather obvious.

His words were soon silenced when a foot made contact with his chest, the wood and the concrete chunk that jutted from the top of the building was blown out of the way as well. Orochimaru landed on his feet, but, he found himself at the other end of the roof.

_'A kick combined with a wind blast. Not bad.' _He male mused, sizing up the girl that stood nearly 30 feet from him.

Though he could see her fully, all she saw was a form of nearly black aura. That's how she could easily distinguish between clones and people. Clones didn't have auras. They weren't real and they weren't living, therefore they couldn't possibly have auras. Just like puppets. That's all they were in her mind. Inversely intertwining her fingers in front of her, she let out a sigh. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was watching her closely. He had never seen this technique, more or less that hand sign.

From her current hand position, she rearranged her fingers to that her ring finger and pinkie were lined up and separated into a V shape with her other two fingers intertwined and her thumbs extended. The next arrangement outspread her fingers with her palms facing out with the tip of her index finger and thumb touching. The final sign was laying her right hand beneath her left, her palms facing up towards her face and the tips of her thumbs touching. Her hands moved with the speed of a truly experienced ninja, which she indeed was. They don't make you a Jounin for memorizing more the six jutsus.

"Shigai Shikaku." she muttered, feeling her eyes morph beneath her headband.

**'Do it now.'** Annon hissed as Kujo began another set of hand seals. This set was of common hand seals.

"Irounaku Ankoku no Jutsu." She mumbled, plunging the battlefield into darkness. This was the optimum setting for Shigai Shikaku. No light, besides a faint glow from a small flame way off in the distance. Even with the light, that only spread an inch around the flame, no one could see. Unless you were from the Manako clan, of course. That bit of light was just enough to give them complete vision. Pulling down her headband, her eyes went directly to Orochimaru. His aura was obvious, a burst of red beginning to form in the middle of his chest.

**'That's it… He's starting to realize that he's not the dominant ninja any more. You got him right where you want him!' **Annon screamed in her head, causing a headache to begin to form.

But realizing that her other personality was correct, she ran silently towards the un-expecting shinobi seeing the vermillion spot growing as he realized that she was in total control of the situation and had obviously done what she did because it wouldn't affect her fighting performance.

"You know, Orochimaru-sama…" she hissed in his right ear, causing the male to turn about, expecting to see her there, but there was nothing there except darkness. Meanwhile, she had nonchalantly walked around his back so she was on his left side."You really should have studied." Kujo continued, a smirk on her face. When he turned again, expecting to see nothing, he was met with a pair of red-violet cat-like eyes. What caught him off guard the most was that her eyes could only have been an inch from his own. But in the time it took him to notice, they were gone.

"I hope you are aware that I can kill you right now. And I don't even need to lift a finger." The voice sounded far away, but her eyes appeared in front of him once more, but several feet away. "If you leave now, I'll let you live. But I never want to see your face again."

"Well… You drive a hard bargain. But, let's try this. I leave now, and I'll come back in 3 years. Hopefully you'll have gone stronger by then and will be a better host for me by then, hm?" The male haggled, a smirk forming on his face when he realized that she didn't appear to have the heart to kill him.

"I'll take your suggestion. But I'll tell you right now, you're wrong… I will kill you if you get in my way. In three years, hopefully you'll be a better fighter and maybe put up a half decent fight. Now, get out of here." Her voice hissed as the darkness lifted, leaving Kujo standing with her headband once again over her eyes. A soft smirk formed on the male's face as he looked at her.

"I'll leave. But, I want to give you something first… " he hissed. Before she could react, his neck had stretched across the space between them. She knew what was coming, but couldn't force herself to move. She hadn't felt this powerless since… since…

-X-X-X- FLASHBACK –X-X-X-

_A soft scream echoed throughout the large, barren room. The cold stone walls stared un-forgivingly back at the young girl. Her eyes were clenched tight as the whip was cracked across her bare back again, a new welt forming across an older one._

_"Have you learned your lesson yet?" a husky, rough male voice asked, the beating ceasing momentarily._

_Getting no answer from the young girl, he exchanged the simple, rope whip for a much more threatening one with a small, innocent looking hook on the end. But, it proved far from innocent. But, the blue-haired girl knew that all too well. This wasn't the first time she had fallen behind. It was as if she asked to be punished._

_The clan thought it such a waste that the strongest form of the Shigai Shikaku could be found in this young child who couldn't keep up with the others. Always falling behind and not completing her training with everyone else. It was as if she wanted to be beaten because she was different. In fact, it was her choice. But only because she thought that being treated like so was how to be rid of the voices in her head. Some telling her to kill the people around her, and others telling her to kill herself. The voices always seemed to quiet down when she was in pain._

_She had no control over herself. No control of anyone else. No control._

-X-X-X- END FLASHBACK –X-X-X-

Feeling two sharp points sinking into her neck brought back the memories. She felt her power drain as she slumped to her knees when her neck was released from her jaws. As if on instinct, her hand went to her neck and held tight to the painful area. She glared at the smirking Sound nin through her headband until he turned away and disappeared, but not without getting the final word in.

"Come find me when you want to get back at them. Or if you find that no one else wants you." His words hung in the air for several moments, leaving Kujo on her knees, staring at the spot he vacated.

_'Kuso.'_ She thought angrily, slamming her fist into the roof. _'Why did I let my guard down?'_

**'Just because he said he was leaving doesn't mean he was going to leave right away.'**

_'You're not helping Annon…'_

Kujo wrinkled her nose as she felt darkness begin to consume her. She managed to lower herself onto her side, then onto her back before losing complete consciousness.

A/N: Sorry, it's a bit on the short side. But, ya know. I got in what I wanted to get it. Not the best at fight scenes, but, I did what I could. Still a bit of a short fight, but, I'm not good at long ones. Lol. R&R!


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